HOLLAND, MI (WHTC-AM/FM, Aug. 16, 2023) – Ottawa County emergency management officials on Wednesday evening are hoping not to duplicate what happened in Newaygo County on Tuesday.
Around 10 AM, media outlets in the region were notified through the Emergency Alert System of an “emergency evacuation” near Newaygo “due to a failure of the Hardy Dam.” Warning tones and messages were sent out by primary EAS outlets, and due to heavy rains in the region the night before, there was a reasonable likelihood of the message being legitimate.
However, Newaygo County authorities explained that the message was part of a training exercise, and while the words “test message only” was included in the written text of the warning, live code information in the message activated broadcast alerts that the Michigan Association of Broadcasters said “should have never been sent.”
At 3 PM on Wednesday, Windmill Island Gardens will be blocked off to the public ahead of a four-hour mass casualty incident exercise that begins at 6 PM. Conducted by Ottawa County Emergency Management, the Holland Department of Public Safety, and the Ottawa Medical Control Board Authority will have police, firefighters, emergency medical personnel and volunteer actors go through a simulated incident in order for those first responders to train and prepare for the possibility of a real emergency situation.
“The purpose of the exercise is to develop the best capability in Ottawa County possible for responding to large-scale mass casualty incidents. We are already confident in our first responders and medical professionals in Ottawa; they all know their jobs well, but this exercise tests coordination and efficiency across the disciplines as they work together. Our best measurement of success will be a comprehensive after-action report that identifies where we need to grow, and we will then make the necessary changes.” – Lou Hunt, Ottawa County Emergency Management Director.
The MAB added that it has been in contact with the Michigan State Police and Newaygo County authorities about Tuesday’s false EAS alert and possible Federal Communications Commission violations as a result.
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